BMW X3 turbo failure and customer support

Hi all

I have been a BMW fan for the last 10 years, and have had a 318is (E36), a 525i (E39) and recently an X3 (E83). There is no doubt they are fantastic cars to drive. They have all had minor problems along the way (oil leaks, burning smells that could not be sourced, fuel pump failure, radiator burst etc.

However the big failure was with our 2006 X3 2.0d recently. I bought it in 2008 from a BMW main dealer. Two years ago the turbo failed completely. The car was just under two years out of warranty. I contacted BMW given the low mileage of the car (65,000 miles) and was initially refused any support. However, following my research online to find and show BMW Ireland numerous sites in Ireland and the UK discussing similar failures (on cars with as low as 22,000 miles) they kindly offered to provide the part free of charge (cost €2,000) if I agreed to pay for the labour (€1,100). I happily agreed to this fair gesture. I believe the fact that the car had a full BMW service history played a large part in this offering.

So 20 months and about 14,000 miles later it blew a second time. BMW Ireland were once again not prepared to take responsibility for this failure, despite the part coming with a 2 year warranty. I was told that the warranty was not mine because I did not purchase the part (makes no sense to me...). Finally they offered to contribute 40% of the cost of the part replacement (€800) and I would have to pay the remainder (€2,100). I decided this was neither fair nor acceptable. They would not budge. I eventually had the part replaced with an independent garage using a generic part (I was told it's actually the same part by the same manufacturer, without the BMW box) for a total cost of €1,700.

I find it hugely disappointing after buying a premium car and owning it for five years, paying full BMW service prices on schedule and experiencing two failures of the same part, despite the second part failure occurring within warranty that BMW could not accept their responsibility. The car was used purely for domestic purposes, mostly on motorways, and with only one occupant.

So own goal to BMW Ireland not backing up their hype about building premium cars and having a premium customer service product. If you are considering buying an X3, expect the turbo to be changed about every two to three years. Personally I have vowed not to buy another BMW after this experience due to the arrogance and intransigence of the distributor. I have to say the garage I was dealing with in Dublin were very courteous and professional though.

Thats my experience. Anyone had any similar issues with BMW? They have lost my custom from now.